Resource adequacy perception and marital satisfaction of rural wives and husbands: A nonrecursive model

Abstract

Rural families have experienced rapid changes in their social and economic environment in the past few decades. How do rural husbands and wives perceive the adequacy of their resources in the face of economic pressures? Is there a relationship between their perception of resource adequacy and their marital satisfaction? These questions are explored using data from a random sample of 205 couples living in rural Minnesota. Age and Locus of Control are predictors of Perceived Resource Adequacy for both husbands and wives; employment is a predictor of Perceived Resource Adequacy for wives; and Money Management is negatively related to Perceived Resource Adequacy for husbands. Cohesion is the only salient cause of Marital Satisfaction for husbands and wives. No reciprocal relationship is found between Perceived Resource Adequacy and Marital Satisfaction. Implications for theory, research, education, and counseling are discussed.